Russellville city officials are considering partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete a $14.784 million drainage improvement project.

The proposed project would include improvements to Prairie Creek and Engineers Ditch, as well as the construction of a detention basin near Weir Road. Improvements would be made from the basin west to the culmination of Prairie Creek and include the widening of the channels.

"You see a lot of residential benefits from the detention basin on down to (State) Highway 7 and you see, obviously, the commercial benefits in the mall area," Gabriel Knight, hydraulic engineer with the Corps, said while showing maps of the proposed improvements.

Knight later said as a result of the project, "you're looking at a lot less frequent flooding."

As a result, flood maps maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could be amended to reflect the improvements. This leaves open the possibility that some areas could be removed from the flood plain, and thus property owners would no longer be required to maintain flood insurance on those properties.

Many variables are still unknown as the project is still in preliminary planning stages. Dana Coburn, the Corps project manager for the proposed improvements, said the cost figures are very conservative, meaning they plan for a "worst-case-scenario." Much of the city's costs are related to property acquisition, which could come in much lower than projected.

For planning purposes, however, the figure of $14.784 million was used. For these types of projects, the Corps has a cap of $7 million, leaving the city with a maximum contribution of $7.784 million. Coburn said if a proposal is submitted by December, the project may be eligible for additional federal funds.

Another option, she said, would be to split the project into two separate projects. Because Prairie Creek and Engineers Ditch are hydraulically independent of each other, they do not have to be completed at the same time. Total costs for Prairie Creek improvements only would be $10.577 million, and Engineers Ditch would cost an estimated $4.207 million.

The city's portion of the project cost would be paid for with proceeds from the city's 1-cent sales tax, should voters decide next month to extend collection of the tax. Over the course of seven years, slightly more than $25 million is estimated to be dedicated to streets and drainage projects.